For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
کتنا جوش تھا ۔ مرلی دھر شادؔ
۱
جو کِھلا غنچہ چمن میں وہ سراپہ گوش تھا
کیا اثر تھا نالۂ بلبل میں کتنا جوش تھا
۲
سامنے جب آ گیا تو گر پڑا سجدے میں وہ
خود فراموشی میں بھی عاشق کو اتنا ہوش تھا
۳
یہ مری غفلت تھی اُس کو دور سمجھا آپ سے
وہ مرے پہلو میں رہ کر مجھ سے ہم آغوش تھا
۴
دید کے قابل تھا حسن و عشق کا راز و نیاز
آپ سب کچھ کہہ رہے تھے اور میں خاموش تھا
۵
تیرا خنجر میرے پہلو سے نہ ہوتا تھا جدا
اِس کو کہتے ہیں محبت خون کا یہ جوش تھا
۶
فیضِ بیخودؔ نے اسے اپنا سا آخر کر دیا
شادؔ کو دیکھا تھا کل مصروفِ نا ؤ نوش تھا
कितना जोश था – मुर्लीधर शाद
१
जो खिला ग़ुंचा चमन में वो सरापा गोश था
क्या असर था नाला-ए बुलबुल में कितना जोश था
२
सामने जब आ गया तो गिर पढा सज्दे में वो
ख़ुद फ़रामोशी में भी आशेक़ को इतना होश था
३
ये मेरी ग़फ़्लत थी उसको दूर समझा आप से
वो मेरे पहलू में रह कर मुझ से हम-आग़ोश था
४
दीद के क़ाबिल था हुस्न ओ इश्क़ का राज़ ओ नियाज़
आप सब कुछ कह रहे थे और मैं ख़ामोश था
५
तेरा ख़ंजर मेरे पहलू से न होता था जुदा
इस को कहते हैं मोहब्बत ख़ून का ये जोश था
६
फ़ैज़-ए बेख़ुद ने उसे अपना सा आख़िर कर दिया
शाद को देखा था कल मश्ग़ूल ना-ओ-नोश था
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. murli dhar shaad (~1910?-1950). His diivaan was published posthumously by his uncle, shaNkar lal shaNkar, who was himself a shaa’er and died soon afterwards (~1952). shaad’s father, founder of lyallpur mills and later DCM, established the ‘shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust’ which organizes annual hind-pak mushaa’era (with political interruptions in 1965 and covid in 2020), aimed at promoting urdu and communal harmony. shaad also organized annual mushaa’era in lyallpur in the 1940s inviting shu’ara from all over India, for the employees of the textile mills. This post is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam under the category ‘navaa-e sarosh tha’ because it is so similar with just thaa substituted for hai.
1
jo khilaa1 Ghuncha2 chaman meN voh saraapa3 gosh4 thaa
kyaa asar5 thaa naala6-e bulbul meN kitna josh7 thaa 1.blossomed 2.rose-bud 3.head to toe, embodiment 4.ear 5.effect 6.wailing 7.passion
In urdu poetic tradition the rose and the bulbul are lovers. The bulbul sings songs of love to the rose and the rose smiles (blossoms) for her. Every bud that blossomed in the garden was all ears, listening intently to the wailing (song) of the bulbul; it had such a profound effect because it had so much passion.
2
saamne jab aa gayaa to gir paRaa sajde1 meN voh
Khud-faraamoshi2 meN bhi aashiq ko itna hosh3 thaa 1.prostration 2.trance 3.awareness
The lover was in such intense distress that he was unaware of his own condition, like in a stupefied trance. But even in this trance, he had enough awareness to fall to the ground in prostration when the beloved appeared before him.
3
yeh meri Ghaflat1 thi uss ko duur samjha aap se
voh mere pahlu2 meN rah kar mujh se ham-aaGhosh3 thaa 1.negligence, forgetfulness, ignorance 2.side, side of the bosom 3.in close embrace
This is probably about the divine. It was my own ignorance, unawareness that I thought he was far from me, while all this time he was in my bosom as close to me as if in an embrace. This is like qur’aanic saying that god is as close to you as your jugular vein.
4
diid1 ke qaabil2 thaa husn-o-ishq3 ka raaz4-o-niyaaz5
aap sab kuchh kah rahe the’ aur maiN Khaamosh6 thaa 1.witnessing, observing 2.worthwhile 3.beauty and love, beloved and lover 4.secret 5.devotional offering 6.silent
The literal meaning is … the exchange of secrets and devotion between lover and beloved was worth seeing. She was speaking ‘everything’ (probably meaning without hesitation) and I was silent. In the second misra the beloved could not have been speaking words of love. That just does not happen in the poetic tradition. More likely, she was speaking in anger, and he was listening silently and with devotion. The only problem is that I cannot reconcile angry speech as ‘raaz’ in the first misra.
5
tera Khanjar1 mere’ pahluu2 se na hota thaa juda3
iss ko kahte haiN mohabbat Khoon ka yeh josh4 thaa 1.dagger 2.side of the bosom 3.separate, part 4.passion
In urdu poetic tradition the epitome of love is to be killed at the hands of the beloved. Here she has stabbed him directly in the heart through the side of his bosom and is trying to pull out her dagger, but the dagger is stuck. This is called love; this is intensity of passion.
6
faiz1-e beKhud2 ne use apna-sa aaKhir3 kar diya
shaad4 ko dekha thaa kal mashGhool5-e naa-o-nosh6 thaa 1.benevolence, blessing 2.beKhud dehlavi, the ustaad of the poet 3.at last, finally 4.poet’s pen-name 5.busy 6.eating and drinking-used here to mean joyous celebration
murlidhar shaad was a devoted shaagird of beKhud dehlavi. He is paying a tribute to him. It is possible that beKhud was a joyful personality who enjoyed himself in gatherings. Thus – finally, the blessings of beKhud, have transformed shaad into someone like himself. I saw shaad yesterday and he was busy in joyous celebration.
murli dhar shaad (~1910?-1950). His diivaan was published posthumously by his uncle, shaNkar lal shaNkar, who was himself a shaa’er and died soon afterwards (~1952). shaad’s father, founder of lyallpur mills and later DCM, established the ‘shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust’ which organizes annual hind-pak mushaa’era (with political interruptions in 1965 and covid in 2020), aimed at promoting urdu and communal harmony. shaad also organized annual mushaa’era in lyallpur in the 1940s inviting shu’ara from all over India, for the employees of the textile mills. This post is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam under the category ‘navaa-e sarosh tha’ because it is so similar with just thaa substituted for hai.
1
jo khilaa1 Ghuncha2 chaman meN voh saraapa3 gosh4 thaa
kyaa asar5 thaa naala6-e bulbul meN kitna josh7 thaa
1.blossomed 2.rose-bud 3.head to toe, embodiment 4.ear 5.effect 6.wailing 7.passion
In urdu poetic tradition the rose and the bulbul are lovers. The bulbul sings songs of love to the rose and the rose smiles (blossoms) for her. Every bud that blossomed in the garden was all ears, listening intently to the wailing (song) of the bulbul; it had such a profound effect because it had so much passion.
2
saamne jab aa gayaa to gir paRaa sajde1 meN voh
Khud-faraamoshi2 meN bhi aashiq ko itna hosh3 thaa
1.prostration 2.trance 3.awareness
The lover was in such intense distress that he was unaware of his own condition, like in a stupefied trance. But even in this trance, he had enough awareness to fall to the ground in prostration when the beloved appeared before him.
3
yeh meri Ghaflat1 thi uss ko duur samjha aap se
voh mere pahlu2 meN rah kar mujh se ham-aaGhosh3 thaa
1.negligence, forgetfulness, ignorance 2.side, side of the bosom 3.in close embrace
This is probably about the divine. It was my own ignorance, unawareness that I thought he was far from me, while all this time he was in my bosom as close to me as if in an embrace. This is like qur’aanic saying that god is as close to you as your jugular vein.
4
diid1 ke qaabil2 thaa husn-o-ishq3 ka raaz4-o-niyaaz5
aap sab kuchh kah rahe the’ aur maiN Khaamosh6 thaa
1.witnessing, observing 2.worthwhile 3.beauty and love, beloved and lover 4.secret 5.devotional offering 6.silent
The literal meaning is … the exchange of secrets and devotion between lover and beloved was worth seeing. She was speaking ‘everything’ (probably meaning without hesitation) and I was silent. In the second misra the beloved could not have been speaking words of love. That just does not happen in the poetic tradition. More likely, she was speaking in anger, and he was listening silently and with devotion. The only problem is that I cannot reconcile angry speech as ‘raaz’ in the first misra.
5
tera Khanjar1 mere’ pahluu2 se na hota thaa juda3
iss ko kahte haiN mohabbat Khoon ka yeh josh4 thaa
1.dagger 2.side of the bosom 3.separate, part 4.passion
In urdu poetic tradition the epitome of love is to be killed at the hands of the beloved. Here she has stabbed him directly in the heart through the side of his bosom and is trying to pull out her dagger, but the dagger is stuck. This is called love; this is intensity of passion.
6
faiz1-e beKhud2 ne use apna-sa aaKhir3 kar diya
shaad4 ko dekha thaa kal mashGhool5-e naa-o-nosh6 thaa
1.benevolence, blessing 2.beKhud dehlavi, the ustaad of the poet 3.at last, finally 4.poet’s pen-name 5.busy 6.eating and drinking-used here to mean joyous celebration
murlidhar shaad was a devoted shaagird of beKhud dehlavi. He is paying a tribute to him. It is possible that beKhud was a joyful personality who enjoyed himself in gatherings. Thus – finally, the blessings of beKhud, have transformed shaad into someone like himself. I saw shaad yesterday and he was busy in joyous celebration.
